hospitals

so i went to visit some hospitals in the city yesterday for my grandfather.  my grandfather suffered a stroke a few years back and now, due to family circumstances, we're looking for a temporary home for him somewhere.  however, that's harder than just finding a nursing home and paying them money.  there are no nursing homes in vietnam.  there are no retirement homes.  the only option is to admit him to a private hospital and hire someone to stay with him 24 hours a day. 

the first hospital i went to was either a small private hospital or a public hospital.  i walked in and after 10 minutes, finally found the reception desk.  in my futile, my improving, vietnamese, i asked them if they would allow for someone to stay in a bed for a few months.  after saying "yes" enthusiastically (they can tell i'm a foreigner, and hence, have the money to pay for such a thing), they showed me the rooms.  they're modest, with nothing but beds, bathrooms, fridges, and a television.  they did have air conditioning.  then, they showed me the "shared" room.  it was a room, same size as the single room, that had 6 beds with 6 patients.  no air conditioning.  no privacy.  definitely eye opening.

the second hospital i went to was a larger private hospital.  very much nicer and looked more modern than the one i had visited in the morning.  granted, it was also much more expensive (twice as much - 390,000 dong per day, which amounts to about $35 US compared to 170,000 dong/$16 US for the other hospital).  they took us on a tour, and the rooms were single, double, or triple.  all the rooms are the same size, it's just a matter of how many beds they can squeeze in there. 

all of this hospital watching has given me a good opportunity to look at what hospitals and care in vietnam is like.  though i cannot comment on the quality of care, the facilities are definitely different than any that you would find in the US.  i have no doubt that the medical professionals here do the best that they can given their resources and their circumstances.  i have definitely found that to be true of the social workers and doctors that i work with at the hiv testing site. 

also, finding a place for my grandfather has shown me that in a country that is quickly becoming more modern, there is a need for an institution for elderly care.  traditionally, family members take care of the elder members.  however, when modern medicine is allowing people to live longer and modern influences are changing family dynamics, tradition cannot always be followed.  in that case, there are few options for those who cannot afford to do what my family is thinking of doing.  and the only reason why my family has the money is because we're viet kieu (vietnamese-born, but immigrants elsewhere) and a large family. 

so, we'll see what happens with my grandfather.  it's all a complicated journey, trying to navigate the medical and social welfare system in vietnam.  and all in my rudimentary vietnamese.